Top 10 College Football Playoff games of all time

The College Football Playoff has dramatically shifted the college football landscape.

Before the CFP, only two teams were involved in competing for the championship. Then, in 2014, it became four teams. Now in 2025, 12 teams are competing for the title. 

Since 2014, we’ve seen a handful of memorable teams produced by Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State, among others, but many of those teams routinely won in blowouts, leaving them on the outside looking in at the best games of all time.

Taking a deep dive, including some semifinal, quarterfinal and championship games, we’ve assembled the top 10 CFP games of all time, with tons of future NFL stars. 

Here are the top 10 College Football Playoff games of all time:

10. 2014 semifinal: No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 1 Alabama 35

One of the more unbelievable stories in the CFP era was the stellar play of Ohio State backup QB Cardale Jones in 2014.

Jones led the team on an unexpected title run after an injury to starter J.T. Barrett. The semifinal proved he had some guts with the Buckeyes falling behind 21-6 early in the second quarter before outscoring the Tide 36-14 the rest of the way. 

Jones, of course, didn’t do it himself though, with future NFL RB Ezekiel Elliott leading the offense to the tune of 230 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. That performance helped offset the nine-catch, 71 receiving-yard and two-touchdown game that Alabama WR Amari Cooper put up. 

The key to the game came in the middle when Ohio State delivered a haymaker, running off 28 unanswered points and going from a 21-6 deficit to a 34-21 lead that they never relinquished. 

9. 2015 Championship: No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40

Perhaps the greatest championship game in the CFP era, the 85 combined points in this one are a record thus far in CFP title games. The two teams combined for 740 total yards of offense, the only title game to surpass 700 total yards between the two teams.

The real story in this game was how different the fourth quarter was from the rest of the game. The first three quarters saw just 45 points combined, but in the fourth quarter, the Tigers and Crimson Tide put up 40 points between the two teams. 

Clemson QB Deshaun Watson delivered 405 passing yards and four touchdowns, but couldn’t overcome Derrick Henry’s 158 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the end.

8. 2023 semifinal: No. 1 Michigan 27, No. 4 Alabama 20 (OT)

Alabama and Michigan put on a show in one of the four overtime games in CFP history, and the first since 2018.

After an early Alabama touchdown to put them up 7-0, Michigan proceeded to outscore the Tide 27-13 the remainder of the game, but the most important play came in the fourth quarter when Wolverines’ QB J.J. McCarthy found Roman Wilson for the four-yard touchdown with 1:34 left to tie the game at 20-20. 

In overtime, Michigan RB Blake Corum found the end zone on the team’s second play in the extra period, giving the team a seven-point lead. Alabama managed to get the ball down to the two-yard line, but on fourth-and-goal, QB Jalen Milroe was stuffed, giving Michigan its first CFP title game berth in school history.

7. 2023 semifinal: No. 2 Washington 37, No. 3 Texas 31

A battle of two unlikely teams entering the season, this game didn’t disappoint. The semifinal featured 68 points between the two teams and 1,030 yards of total offense, with the latter being the fourth-most in CFP history.

After entering halftime tied 21-21, Washington came out and took control, scoring the first 13 points of the second half and sealing the team’s berth in the title game. 

The Huskies’ offense was led by its QB, Michael Penix Jr., who put on a show, with 430 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. His 19-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter proved to be the game-winner, with that putting the team ahead for good.

6. 2022 semifinal: No. 3 TCU 51, No. 2 Michigan 45

One of the most entertaining football games of the last five years, the two teams combined for 69 points in the second half, and 44 in the third quarter. Most of the scoring can be traced back to one thing — turnovers. This game had a whopping six turnovers, the second-most in a CFP game in history. 

Although the scoring kept up throughout the game, the Horned Frogs’ 14-0 lead at the end of the first proved to be insurmountable, with Michigan getting as close as three points, but unable to take the lead.

When all was said and done, the game featured 96 combined points, the second-most in a CFP game to this point in the tournament’s history.

5. 2024 quarterfinal: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT)

The most recent game on the list was an incredible one, with multiple twists and turns. After the Sun Devils had seemingly nothing going on in the first half and entered the break trailing 17-3, the team came alive in the second half and specifically in the fourth quarter. 

After the Longhorns found the end zone early in the fourth quarter, putting them up 24-8, the game looked over. Arizona State had other ideas though, scoring two touchdowns, both with two-point conversions, in just 1:31 of game time, tying the game at 24-24. 

Both teams would score in the first overtime before ASU failed to reach the end zone in the second overtime. Despite the loss, Sun Devils RB Cam Skattebo introduced himself to the nation with 143 yards on 242 yards from scrimmage, two rushing touchdowns and a 42-yard passing touchdown. 

4. 2022 semifinal: No. 1 Georgia 42, No. 4 Ohio State 41

Ohio State looked ready to advance to the 2022 title game after entering the fourth quarter with a 38-24 lead. Stetson Bennett and the Bulldogs had other ideas though, responding in the final frame with an 18-3 edge.

Stetson Bennett led the team back and hit Adonai Mitchell for the 10-yard touchdown pass with just 54 seconds left, but the key play came when Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired, handing the Bulldogs the narrow one-point win and sending the SEC powerhouse to the title game where they claimed the conference’s fifth CFP title. 

3. 2017 semifinal: No. 3 Georgia 54, No. 2 Oklahoma 48 (2OT)

The only game in the CFP era where the teams combined to break the century mark, and this one featured a lot of star power.

Oklahoma’s offense was powered by future No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield, who put up 287 pass yards and two touchdowns. His targets featured three NFL studs with CeeDee Lamb, Hollywood Brown and Mark Andrews combining for 18 receptions, 232 yards and two touchdowns. 

On the other side, Georgia’s backfield was the stuff of legends with two future NFL-starters on the same team. Sony Michel delivered the biggest impact with 181 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Nick Chubb also contributed with a modest 145 rushing yards and two scores. 

This game had fireworks and it saved the best for last with each team scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter and the defenses tightening up in extra time, before Sony Michel’s 27-yard rushing touchdown won it in the second overtime.

2. 2016 Championship: No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31

Alabama was 15 minutes away from winning back-to-back titles before Deshaun Watson led Clemson back to avenge the championship game loss from 2015. Entering the fourth quarter, the Tide held a 24-14 lead after Jalen Hurts hit O.J. Howard for a 68-yard touchdown pass, giving Alabama all the momentum. 

The next two touchdowns would belong to the Tigers, though, with Clemson going ahead 28-24 with just over four minutes remaining. Alabama would answer by finding the end zone with two minutes left, seemingly putting them ahead for good. That was until Deshaun Watson led the team down the field and found future NFL WR Hunter Renfrow for the touchdown with one second remaining and sealing the win for the Tigers.

1. 2017 Championship: No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23 (OT)

The game that featured one of the most famous moments in CFP history checks in at No. 1. That, of course, referencing Nick Saban benching star QB Jalen Hurts at halftime and subbing in Tua Tagovailoa. Tua would jumpstart an offense that was loaded with dynamic future pros. Calvin Ridley and DeVonta Smith combined for 5 catches, 73 yards and two touchdowns, with both their scores accounting for the two most important. 

Ridley’s seven-yard touchdown reception would tie the game at 20 late in the fourth quarter, erasing what was a 13-point deficit. While DeVonta Smith’s 41-yard touchdown grab won the game for the Tide in overtime, completing an unreal comeback.

Honorable mentions:

• 2014 championship: No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20
• 2019 semifinal: No. 3 Clemson 29, No. 2 Ohio State 23
• 2020 semifinal: No. 3 Ohio State 49, No. 2 Clemson 28
• 2019 championship: No. 1 LSU 42, No. 3 Clemson 25
• 2024 semifinal: No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 6 Penn State 24

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